Having heard the rumors concerning Jin Jiuling, Lu Xiaofeng was shaken to his core. He turned to Hua Manlou and said, "Huo Xiu turns out to be the Embroidery Bandit, Jin Jiuling peeps at Ximen Chuixue taking a bath, and now even if someone told me that you, Hua Manlou, were the mastermind secretly pulling the strings across the jianghu, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised..."
Hua Manlou smiled faintly. "I am hardly cut out to be the Bat Prince. You can't honestly suspect that I've been pulling the strings behind the scenes, can you? Otherwise, now that the property stolen from Yan Tieshan has been recovered, why would you bring me here to see the Great Golden Roc King?"
Lu Xiaofeng said, "Even though Yan Tieshan's money was recovered, many riddles in this case remain unsolved. Why did the Great Golden Roc King and Shangguan Danfeng lie? Until I uncover the full truth, I'll always feel this case hasn't been cracked."
As they spoke, they had already walked into the Great Golden Roc King's manor. They found the place entirely deserted, the entire courtyard steeped in deathly silence.
Upon the throne, the Great Golden Roc King's corpse sprang into view. Startled, Lu Xiaofeng was about to step forward to examine it.
Right at that moment, a voice ringing with righteousness suddenly piped up: "Don't touch! Let me!"
Lu Xiaofeng turned around to see Qin Zheng strolling in from outside with Shangguan Xue'er. Frowning, he asked, "What are you doing here?"
Qin Zheng said, "This is Shangguan Xue'er's home. She is about to leave the Central Plains for the Western Regions to restore her kingdom, so I brought her over to bid farewell to her family."
With that, he slipped on a pair of white gloves, walked forward, and carefully inspected the corpse through a magnifying glass. With an utterly solemn expression, he declared, "According to my examination, the deceased is dead. The person who killed him should be the murderer."
"??"
Lu Xiaofeng's expression froze. Then he glared and sputtered, "Tell me something I can't see for myself!"
Qin Zheng gave a dry cough. "I was explaining it to Hua Manlou. After all, he can't see."
Hua Manlou chuckled softly. "Should I offer you my heartfelt thanks, then?"
Qin Zheng waved a hand magnanimously. "A minor favor, hardly worth mentioning. According to my inspection, this man was killed by a poisoned needle—slain in a single strike. First, let me verify his identity."
Saying so, he pulled off the Great Golden Roc King's shoes.
Shangguan Xue'er had already learned from Qin Zheng that this Great Golden Roc King was an imposter. She explained to Lu Xiaofeng, "The direct royal bloodline of the Golden Roc Dynasty all have six toes on each foot. Shangguan Danfeng is the same; I used to laugh at her for it."
Staring at the imposter, who had five toes on each foot, Lu Xiaofeng's brow furrowed even deeper. "The Great Golden Roc King is a fake—could Shangguan Danfeng be a fake as well?"
Shangguan Xue'er said smugly, "That wicked woman is the real deal, of course, but Her Majesty here has sharp, fiery eyes and realized something was off about her long ago! Good thing I'm exceptionally clever and latched onto Qin Zheng's thigh early on, or else that woman Shangguan Danfeng would have ruined me too."
Lu Xiaofeng asked, "You're saying the murderer is Shangguan Danfeng?"
Shangguan Xue'er nodded. "Exactly. Shangguan Danfeng has an exclusive technique called the Danfeng Needle. This imposter died by the Danfeng Needle."
Just then, Shangguan Danfeng walked in through the doorway and said, "It should be the Feifeng Needle. My Danfeng Needles are never coated with poison."
Seeing Shangguan Danfeng suddenly appear, Shangguan Xue'er jumped in fright, scrambled behind Qin Zheng, and clutched the corner of his robe, trembling like a leaf.
Flustered and agitated, Lu Xiaofeng demanded, "Why did you deceive me? Was it for the treasure in Yan Tieshan's hands?"
Shangguan Danfeng said, "This is our first time meeting. The Shangguan Danfeng you saw before was Shangguan Feiyan in disguise.
"A month ago, Shangguan Feiyan secretly poisoned me and buried me in the backyard. Fortunately, a passing chivalrous hero happened by and saved me, allowing me to survive by a stroke of luck.
"Afterward, I investigated in secret and discovered my father had died long ago. This imposter was brought in by Shangguan Feiyan and Huo Xiu; the two of them conspired to seize all the wealth of the Golden Roc Dynasty."
As she spoke, she slipped off her shoes and socks, exposing feet that bore six toes to prove her identity.
"Shangguan Feiyan learned the Danfeng Needle from me and modified it into a poison-coated Feifeng Needle. This imposter was most likely silenced by her."
Looking shocked, Shangguan Xue'er poked her small head out, utter disbelief in her voice. "My sister killed this person? Then where did she go?"
Qin Zheng took out a pipe, rested it between his lips, and said, "She probably went to find Huo Xiu. I suspect the red embroidered handkerchiefs of the Embroidery Bandit were stitched by Shangguan Feiyan.
"Now that their conspiracy has been exposed, Shangguan Feiyan killed the imposter to keep him quiet. Every single riddle has been solved."
Lu Xiaofeng's brow remained tightly knitted. "Is that so? Why do I still feel something is off..."
He abruptly looked toward Shangguan Danfeng and asked, "Who was the chivalrous hero who saved you?"
A tender smile appeared on Shangguan Danfeng's face as she answered, "The Bandit Chief, Chu Liuxiang—a handsome little old man with a rather large nose."
Lu Xiaofeng was utterly stunned. "Chu Liuxiang has truly returned to the jianghu?!"
A complex look flickered in Shangguan Danfeng's eyes. "After he purged the poison from me, he went off to attend to the matter of taking an apprentice.
"The day before yesterday, he sent a messenger to tell me to wait here and resolve your doubts. Now that the deed is done, I am off to repay his kindness."
With that, she displayed her lightness skill, drifted out of the courtyard, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Lu Xiaofeng rested his chin in his hand. It felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, and his mind cleared completely. "If Fragrance Lord Chu intervened, it's no wonder at all..."
Feeling his cultivation progress take a sudden, massive leap forward, Qin Zheng smiled broadly and said, "Indeed, no wonder at all."
Last month, Shangguan Feiyan had been instructed by Huo Xiu to kill Shangguan Danfeng, pose as her to seek Lu Xiaofeng's help, and use Lu Xiaofeng's hand to kill Yan Tieshan and the others so they could swallow their treasures.
Qin Zheng, however, had impersonated Chu Liuxiang, dug up Shangguan Danfeng from the earth, and used his methods to revive her.
The day before yesterday, seeing Lu Xiaofeng rushing toward Gusu to confront the fake Great Golden Roc King, he had immediately sent a message to Shangguan Danfeng, telling her to come and testify.
With Shangguan Danfeng as a living witness combined with Chu Liuxiang's illustrious chivalrous reputation, he had finally managed to pull the wool over Lu Xiaofeng's eyes.
As for the real Chu Liuxiang, Qin Zheng had no idea where he was. He only knew that the man's fate had been unknown for many years; he was probably dead by now...
In an unknown expanse of sea, Chu Liuxiang, who was lying on the deck of a great ship basking in the sun, sneezed violently. He couldn't help but grumble, "This rhinitis is truly a nuisance. There's just no way to cure it at all..."
***
Inside the Second Tower of Qingyi Tower.
Huo Xiu was flying into a furious rage at the subordinate before him: "You're saying all of my wealth has been wiped out, and I even owe Longmen Firm ten million taels of silver?!"
Keeping his head bowed, the subordinate stammered out an explanation: "Master, it is all true. This year, because of poor management, most of our shops borrowed silver from Longmen Firm.
"Now that the shops have been sealed by the imperial court and cannot repay the money, our assets can only be used to settle the debts..."
Huo Xiu's eyes rolled back in heartache, and he slumped into his chair. His pale lips quivered incessantly, and he gasped for breath as he said, "My money... That was all money I worked so hard to earn..."
After a while, Huo Xiu finally caught his breath and asked cautiously, "How are Qingyi Tower's recent losses?"
The subordinate lowered his already bowed head even further and murmured, "Only this Second Tower where we reside and the Eighty-First Tower remain intact. All the other branch towers were exposed and divided clean among the jianghu factions...
"Among them, Duanfeng Forge claimed thirty-six, Longmen Firm took fifty-four, and White Cloud City took six. Ximen Chuixue even slaughtered the Ninth Tower near Wanmei Villa down to the last man."
Huo Xiu coughed up a mouthful of blood and leaned half-dead against his chair. "You... you may leave. I want to be alone..."
Shangguan Feiyan cast a cool glance at Huo Xiu and walked out the door alongside the master of the Second Tower. After walking a short distance, she naturally wrapped her arms around his and leaned in close, pressing her chest against him as she whispered, "The old man is finished. Let's make our getaway at once!"
The man had already hooked up with Shangguan Feiyan several days prior. Enamored and bewildered by her charms, how could he refuse? Wrapping a large hand around her slender waist, he said in a low voice, "I have already liquidated all the assets of the Second Tower and the Eighty-First Tower. Before Huo Xiu finds out, we leave right now!"
With that, he led Shangguan Feiyan outside, boarded a carriage prepared in advance, and rode away into the distance.
A short while later, Shangguan Feiyan kicked the man's corpse out of the carriage. A seductive, tender laugh escaped her lips: "Why split the money between two people when I can enjoy it all to myself~?"
Chapter 71